Tuesday, April 28

House Finch "pre-copulation" song, often given in the close proximity of a female, includes waxwing-like whistles (Mar, PA).

In this case the male was solitary (Mar, NJ).

Purple Finches have two different songs. One is extended and often includes mimicry (July, ME).

sonagram in two parts:
The other is shorter and more stereotyped (July, ME)

Like House Finches, Purple Finches sometimes include high-pitched calls in their songs (July, ME).

Purple Finch "vireo song", interspersed with flight calls. This song version can be heard in fall or spring and sounds similar to a Red-eyed Vireo (Oct, PA).

(Apr, PA)

American Goldfinches sing from early in the spring, even though they won't be breeding until July. The accompanying female often calls (Apr, NJ).

female call to right

female call to right

female call to left

Hoary Redpoll song (singing in bush,June, AK). In this example, the song has 8 different repeated notes. The song of the Common Redpoll is apparently similar, and males use up to 16 different notes in their songs.

Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds of Eastern North America. Nathan Pieplow, 2017. Highly recommended, includes almost all known vocalizations of eastern US birds, with spectrograms and detailed analysis. Excellent!

Stokes Field Guide to Bird Song, Eastern Region, by Lang Elliot. 3 CDs. Of commercial recordings, this has the most comprehensive collection of songs and calls.

The Birds of North America Online (BNA). Comprehensive information on all aspects of life history, including audio and video. By subscription.

The Singing Life of Birds. Donald Kroodsma, Houghton Mifflin, 2005. Terrific book (plus CD), a must read.

The Songs of Wildbirds. Lang Elliott., Houghton Mifflin, 2005. Excellent photos with high quality recordings including some rare ones such as the flight song of the Western Meadowlark.

The Sound Approach to Birding. A guide to understanding bird sound. A. van de Berg, M Constantine, M. Robb. Superb discussion of bird calls and song with 2 CDs.